This new variety of florist azalea was discovered in 1987 growing on a potted plant at the inventor's commercial nursery located in Beaverton, Oreg. The new variety is a spontaneous mutation of the "Peace" azalea, discovered as a limb sport. Subsequent asexual propagation by cuttings at the same location has demonstrated that the below-described valuable characteristic is genetically stable and holds true from generation to generation. The Peace azalea is a florist azalea of unknown origin and is known to be available only from a limited number of commercial greenhouses in the Pacific Northwest.
The "Al Panzer" azalea and its parent Peace azalea are identical in all aspects except three.
1. The Peace flower is white compared to the red-purple Al Panzer flower;
2. The young stems of the Peace azalea remain in the yellow-green (group color 114c) from the base to the tip, whereas the young stems of the Al Panzer change to a red-purple (group color 59b); and
3. The older leaves of the Peace azalea are always green (group color 137a or 139a), whereas the older leaves of the Al Panzer have a tendency to have a reddish bronze tint under high light or extreme temperature conditions.
The forcing requirements and natural flower dates of the Peace azalea and the Al Panzer azalea are identical. Neither variety has any fragrance. Flower fertility is unknown for either variety. The outdoor reaction for either variety is not known as both varieties are florist azaleas and are always grown in a greenhouse.